Harry Potter and the Dark Side of the Veil
by SS Pumpkin Pie
Summary: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR OOTP *6thyear* There is more to the veil than anyone realizes. * is gone forever, but that doesn't mean he'll never be seen again. What does the new defense teacher and a shattered mirror have to do with all of this? Read to find out!
1. A few letters

Right, this contains major spoilers, so if you haven't read OotP yet, don't read this or you will know basically everything that happened. Everyone else, please continue to the disclaimer, where you will find the lawyers making sure I don't get sued.  
  
Disclaimer-It belongs to JK, go sue someone else.  
  
Harry supposed he should feel sad or angry or something. Sirius was his godfather after all! He hadn't shed a single tear for him, and Harry was feeling pretty guilty.  
  
All Harry could feel was emptiness. He lay back on his bed in the smallest bedroom of number four, Privet Drive. He stared at the ceiling, reminiscing about the year.  
  
He thought about all he'd been told, about the prophecy. So maybe he was a weapon after all. Maybe not the weapon as he'd once thought, but a weapon nonetheless.  
  
An owl tapped at the window. Harry considered whether or not to open the letter it bared. It seemed all he was getting was bad news, and perhaps this was more.  
  
Curiosity won out and Harry got up to let the owl in. He opened the door of Hedwig's cage so it could have some water before it's return flight. The letter was official looking and addressed to a 'Mr. Harry James Potter, Number four Privet drive.'  
  
Harry broke the seal and read what it had to say.  
  
"Dear Mr. Potter, We are sorry for your loss of Sirius Black. A funeral and memorial service will be held Monday, July fifteemth. Please plan to attend. Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore" Harry stared down at the letter for several moments after he'd finished reading it. When they put it in writing, it seemed so final, so definite.  
  
Another owl came flying in. Harry recognized it as being Ron's owl, Pig. Sirius had given it to Ron at the end of fourth year. Harry took the owl and read what it had to say.  
  
"Harry, I suppose you just got the letter for the funeral. Hermione got the same one and so have I. I hope you're doing alright and the rest of the family sends their love. Mum says you're to come over here with us. Ask the muggles and we'll be along to pick you up tomorrow round one. -Ron"  
  
Harry set both letters down on the desk and resumed staring at the ceiling. There was an oddly shaped crack, it looked rather like a hat. Maybe cracks in the ceiling were like clouds in the sky.  
  
Harry sighed to himself and dragged himself downstairs to ask his aunt. Petunia had been much nicer to Harry this summer. Sure, she hadn't been completely wonderful, but at least he wasn't just a freak with no purpose in life. She wasn't anything close to what Sirius had been, but Harry wasn't going to think about that.  
  
He found her in the kitchen, washing some dishes from breakfast. "Er, Aunt Petunia?" he asked.  
  
"Yes?" she replied. There wasn't any irritability in her voice either.  
  
"My-er-friends are coming to pick me up round 1 tomorrow, okay? I'll be staying there for a couple of days." Harry said.  
  
"Okay." She handed him a dish. "Dry that for me, will you?"  
  
Harry shrugged, it wasn't like he had anything better to do. Taking the dishtowel that hung over the handle to the oven and started drying the plate listlessly.  
  
Petunia looked like she wanted to ask Harry what was wrong, but she wasn't sure how to do it. Harry didn't notice though.  
  
When the last fork was washed and dried, Harry put it in the drawer and decided to go reply to Ron's letter.  
  
He started up the stairs, but Petunia stopped him. "Harry-" she began. "Hmm?" Harry asked, not really interested.  
  
"Nothing, get along up stairs!" she snapped, surprising Harry for a moment.  
  
He dragged himself up the stairs and pulled out a bit of parchment and a quill.  
  
"Ron- It's alright, I can come. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. -Harry"  
  
He read the letter over and found it to be okay. It was a little distant, but so was Ron's. No one needed to worry about him, he didn't need their pity.  
  
Harry yawned and sat back down on the bed. He hadn't been sleeping a whole lot since he'd gotten out of school. His nights were plagued with nightmares of Sirius' death and the other events of the year. As he still had not mastered Occlumency, from time to time, he had visions of what Voldemort was planning.  
  
His scar burned constantly, and it was very hard to get used to. Harry knew Voldemort wouldn't care to keep quiet, now that his return was out in the audience.  
  
Hedwig flew through the window. She'd been hunting and now she was back. Harry gave her the letter and said to her, "Take this to Ron, okay?" and Hedwig flew off again.  
  
Harry lay back on the bed, closing his eyes. Then, suddenly, he pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. His scar started to burn. It felt like his head was going to split in two.  
  
Everything went dark, and then he was in a room. It had stonewalls all around. It was a circular room, and a group of people in dark cloaks stood in a circle. Death eaters.  
  
Harry looked up, at Voldemort. His scar burned fiercly just then, and Harry was on his knees. He was seeing spots. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, trying to make it stop.  
  
"Potter will not know what hit him!" A death eater was saying excitedly.  
  
"Silence!" came Voldemort's cold voice. "Lestange, I do not want to hear you have failed me." He said.  
  
"No, my lord!" came a woman's voice. Harry recognized it as Bellatrix Lestrange.  
  
"Excellent. When the Weasly's come and pick him up tomorrow, Lucius, you will be there."  
  
Lucius nodded. "Yes, my lord,"  
  
And then everything went black again. The pain in Harry's scar had lessoned to a dull ache. He found himself on the floor of his bedroom, rolling around with his hands pressed to his eyes.  
  
Harry had never had a vision like this when he was awake. They normally happened when he was sleeping.  
  
Rubbing his scar, Harry picked up a slip of parchment and a quill. Scratching out his letter quickly, he wrote,  
  
"Dear Sirius- I just had a vision but-"  
  
He stopped writing suddenly. Balling up the paper, he threw it angrily at the wall. Sirius was dead. Dead dead dead and never coming back.  
  
Harry could feel his temper rising. He grabbed the pillow from off of his bed and started punching it, letting out all of his anger. He really would have preferred to yell at someone, but then Vernon would be on his case and so would Dudley. They were down stairs watching the TV and any interruption was a crime punishable by violence.  
  
Harry decided to get to sleep. There wasn't any one worth telling anything anymore. No one would care about his vision or about him like Sirius had. No one could. He was Harry-the-official-orphan-and-totally-alone-Potter. He closed his eyes, and curled up under the sheet of his bed. He knew he should still feel something, but the anger that was such a welcome relief from nothing was gone. He just didn't have the heart to say anything or do anything.  
  
He was still awake a few minuets later when he heard a knock at the door. Petunia stuck her head it. "Dinner's ready, are you eating?" she asked, quite nicely.  
  
Harry glanced at the clock. It was already six thirty. Where had all the time gone?  
  
As if reading his mind, Petunia said, "You've been sleeping all day, I tried to see if you wanted any lunch."  
  
"No, that's ok" Harry replied. He really wasn't hungry.  
  
"You never liked my cooking anyway." Petunia muttered, leaving.  
  
Harry could hear shouts from downstairs. Instead of creeping down to see what it was all about, like the pre-Sirius'-death-Harry would have done, he just lay there. He curled up into a ball and tried to get back to sleep.  
  
All through the night, Harry drifted in and out of sleeping. He had one dream, in which Sirius was writing a letter to him, but before he got the letter, he woke up.  
  
When he woke up for good the next morning, the sun was shining. It was the exact opposite of Harry's mood. Or rather, lack there of.  
  
He glanced at the clock; it read 9.  
  
He got up and threw some clean clothes and his wand into a bag. He was looking forward to seeing everyone, yet at the same time, dreading it.  
  
He went downstairs and saw that everyone was gone. They must have gone shopping, Harry thought. He put some bread in the toaster and waited for it to pop. Today was going to be a long day.  
  
So what do you think? From now on, I'm not posting notes in case I really have something to say. Disclaimer is on the first page, not typing it here on out. Please review, and if you want to be on my mailing list for updates, let me know. 


	2. Temper Tantrums

Chapter Two  
  
After his breakfast of toast, Harry decided to read until the Weaslys came and picked him up. Or, suddenly as he thought darkly, the death eaters did.  
  
Harry sighed, going up the stairs and pulling out the standard book of spells, grade 5. It couldn't hurt to brush up on what he needed to know.  
  
An owl flew through the window just then, dropping its letter and flying off again. The letter was from Ron, Harry could tell from the handwriting. It said,  
  
"Harry- Change of plans, we're picking you at five and bring all of your stuff. You'll be staying the rest of the summer. -Ron"  
  
Harry nodded to himself and gathered his stuff. He put the small bag in his trunk on top of all the loose parchment. He tied Hedwig's cage to the handle of the trunk, thinking it would be easier to carry.  
  
He sat back down on the bed and picked up the book again. The hours whiled away and soon it was ten to five. He dragged his trunk downstairs, but instead of waiting on the porch, which he might have done if he hadn't had that vision, he waited by the door.  
  
There was a knock suddenly and he jumped. Peeking out the eyehole, he saw that it was Ron and Arthur Weasly.  
  
He opened the door slightly, leaving the chain locked. "Hi Ron, Mr. Weasly." He said, not especially wanting to see them there. Especially as they were probably death eaters.  
  
"Hello Harry." Ron said, "Are you coming?"  
  
"What happened in our second year, in the bathroom?" Harry asked suspiciously.  
  
"Er, the polyjuice potion...Harry, what's up with you?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry undid the chain, and stood in the doorway. He peered past them for anyone lurking in the shadows. "Okay, lets go." He said quickly.  
  
As Arthur pulled out a portkey from his coat pocket, a tin can, a black car pulled up into the driveway. The Dursleys were back. They didn't see the Weaslys yet, but they were sure too.  
  
They all got out of the car and started up the driveway. Vernon started yelling for them to get off of his property.  
  
"Off we go then." Arthur said quickly, shrinking Harry's trunk. Harry distinctly saw Aunt Petunia faint just before he touched the Portkey; a beetroot Vernon caught her before she hit the ground.  
  
Harry reached out a hand, holding on tight to his trunk. He couldn't help but think of the previous battle with Voldemort. When Sirius had been lost. He closed his eyes against the swirling colors and kept them closed as they all landed in the front room of number 12 Grimmauld place.  
  
Just being here made Harry feel horrible. He kept his eyes closed as Hermione and Ginny rushed down the stairs to greet him. "Harry?" Ginny asked. "Are you alright?" she asked, peering into his face.  
  
Harry's eyes flew open. "I'm fine, alright?" he snapped angrily. It would do no good to dwell on Sirius.  
  
"Harry, I know this must be hard for you, Sirius being your godfather and all, but-" she stopped suddenly, when she caught Ginny's glare.  
  
"I'm fine, okay?" Harry asked. He could feel his temper rising and he was bursting to yell at someone after the incident with the letter. "You have no idea, so don't even try!" he yelled, stomping up the stairs.  
  
Hermione moved to run after him, but Ginny held her back. "He needs to be alone," she told her.  
  
In the room he normally occupied at the house of Black, Harry flopped down on the bed, breathing heavily. He wanted to do something, to break something. It was his entire fault Sirius was gone. His and no one else's. No one else was thick enough to take the vision seriously.  
  
Before he knew it, he was punching the pillow in his bed, venting his frustration. His anger mounting, he threw it down and looked for something, anything, to vent some more on.  
  
The stone walls surrounding him began to crack, thin likes that branched off and became deeper. The light on the ceiling flickered and the door rattled on its hinges. A chair in the corner turned into a rose and a golden goblet suddenly appeared on the dresser. The room was total chaos, with Harry at the center, sitting on the bed and fuming.  
  
He could vaguely hear the door open and a gasp of surprise. He turned, glaring, to see Remus Lupin, with a wand pointed at him.  
  
"Stupefy!" he said, and Harry slumped over, unconscious.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
When Harry woke up, he was feeling much calmer, but very confused. "What happened?" he asked groggily.  
  
Remus, Hermione and the Weaslys looked down at him. Remus explained, "You have a very powerful temper. If you have no way to dispel your anger, your magic takes control."  
  
"Right, so, let me get this straight," Harry said, sitting up against his pillows. "If I get too mad, I start breaking stuff magically? Why?"  
  
Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Have you ever had things happen because you were afraid, like when you were little?" Harry nodded. "Okay, well, the same thing happens here."  
  
"Your magic and your emotions are close together in your mind, body and soul. When you feel a strong emotion, they fuse together because you have so much of each. Following me here?"  
  
Harry nodded. This was interesting. "Does this happen to everyone?"  
  
Remus wasn't sure how to answer that one without offending anyone. "Well, it usually only happens with very powerful wizards, like yourself."  
  
Harry thought about this for a moment. So he was a very powerful wizard? He supposed he was actually, from hearing the prophecy from Dumbledore.  
  
Remus nodded, mostly to himself. "Which is why I think someone ought to be teaching you to control your temper."  
  
"And that would be.?" Harry asked, all thoughts of Sirius temporarily forgotten.  
  
"Yours truly. First lesson will be tomorrow after-well, tomorrow." Remus broke off. He didn't think it was a good time to bring up the funeral; especially considering Harry was in a better mood now. If he thought about it, he was likely to go flying off the handle again.  
  
"Good to see you're alright, Harry dear," Mrs. Weasly spoke up. "Dinner is ready."  
  
Everyone traipsed downstairs, except Ron and Hermione. They turned to go. "Are you coming, Harry?" Hermione asked softly. Harry shrugged. He opened his mouth to say no, he was going to sleep, but his stomach growled, giving him away.  
  
Harry blushed a little, and Hermione smiled at him. "I guess that's a yes."  
  
Harry started to get up, grinning at Hermione. But the two locked eyes and froze like that for a moment.  
  
Ron cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence. Both Hermione and Harry blushed. Harry got up off of the bed and made his way to the kitchen, in between his two best friends.  
  
Dinner was wonderful, as was all Mrs. Weasly's cooking. He chatted with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny about how their respective summers had been going so far.  
  
When dinner was over, they carried their plates to the sink and went upstairs.  
  
"Fancy a game of chess?" Ron asked Harry.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I guess," he said, yawning.  
  
Ron got out his chessboard. Harry's mind wasn't on the game and Ron beat him quickly.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" wondered Hermione, looking up from her book.  
  
"It's nothing," Harry replied. "Just a little tired, I think I'll turn in early." Yawning, Harry left the room, heading for his and Ron's.  
  
He changed quickly, hoping for a sleepless night. 


	3. Memories, Part One

Chapter Three  
  
"Sirius!" he yelled. He was just at the end of the hallway; he could reach him if he really wanted to-and he did.  
  
"Harry!" Sirius yelled back, but his voice was weak and soft, as though coming from a mile away. But it was only twenty feet or so. He tried to run towards Sirius, but the farther her went, the farther away Sirius was.  
  
Then there was the arch. Sirius fell back into it slowly and gracefully, like it was happening all over again. He could hear high, female laughter before the scene changed.  
  
His scar started to burn. It was worse than the last dream; only he knew this wasn't a dream, but a vision.  
  
Voldemort was in his chair and a cloaked figure was kneeling at his feet. Voldemort was furious; Harry could feel it in his scar. His head was about to explode.  
  
Livid and furious would have worked for how mad Voldemort was if he had been a puppy. But he wasn't, so neither one was going to cut it. He was beyond mad.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU COULDN'T GET PAST THE WARDS?" Voldemort bellowed. He pointed his wand at the figure. "CRUCIO!"  
  
The figure screamed and curled into a ball until Voldemort took off the curse. Harry recognized the figure as Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"They were too strong, master!" Lucius gasped.  
  
"WEAKLING!" the dark lord roared. "CRUCIO!"  
  
Lucius was screaming again and it took Harry a few seconds to realize he was screaming too.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Someone was slapping him and calling his name.He was so tired and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep.  
  
He shivered; it was freezing suddenly. He opened his eyes. Mrs. Weasly, Remus, and Tonks were standing over him.  
  
"Harry!" Remus was calling. It was him who was slapping him, trying to get him to wake up.  
  
Harry groaned, his head hurt, not just his scar. He was freezing, yet he was sweating and his stomach hurt too.  
  
"Harry, what's wrong?" Remus asked. He put a hand on Harry's forehead. "Good lord, you're burning up!"  
  
Harry shifted uncomfortably. What was wrong with him anyway, he was fine earlier.  
  
He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew, there was a cool cloth over his forehead and he didn't feel quite so hot. Everything else felt worse.  
  
A dark haired somebody was sitting in a chair next to him. "Sirius?" he mumbled.  
  
"He's delirious," that someone said. He was saying something else, but Harry didn't really care what.  
  
If Sirius were here, why wouldn't he say something to Harry? He knew he wasn't dead; he wasn't gone. He was just hiding. "Sirius, where were you?" he rasped. His throat was all dry.  
  
"Shh, it's okay," Sirius soothed. "Here, drink this."  
  
Sirius put a glass to his lips. Harry drank the water that was in it. His throat instantly felt better.  
  
"Now go back to sleep," Sirius told him. Harry did what he asked; he was so tired.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Shh, you'll wake him up!"  
  
"I'll wake him up? You're the one who's running a hole in the rug!"  
  
"At least I'm not yelling."  
  
"Neither am I!"  
  
"Just let him sleep."  
  
"I'm all for letting him sleep, Molly, but he has to get up, to go to the funeral!"  
  
Harry awoke with a start. Where was he? It all came back, like his mind was on fast forward. The dream and the vision, then Sirius was there.  
  
But that was impossible. Sirius was dead. Or was he? Harry knew what he saw, and Sirius was there!  
  
"It doesn't matter now, as he's up anyway," a voice (which Harry recognized as Mrs. Weasly) said. "Harry dear, how are you feeling?"  
  
"Fine." Harry mumbled, lying. He felt horrible, but he could fend for himself. "Where did Sirius go?"  
  
"Sirius-Harry, I thought you knew that." Mrs. Weasly said. "Sirius is dead, Harry, we're going to his funeral today."  
  
Harry didn't move. He didn't say a word. Remus stepped in just then. "Feeling better?" he asked.  
  
When Harry still didn't move, he turned to Mrs. Weasly.  
  
"He thought he was seeing Sirius last night and I told him Sirius was dead." Mrs. Weasly explained. "What can we do for him?"  
  
"Nothing right yet."  
  
A tiny crack appeared in the wall to Harry's right. The lights flickered and the rose-chair turned back into a chair.  
  
"Harry." Remus began. "Harry, clam down."  
  
The crack got bigger and the lights flickered again. Yet Harry still didn't move. "Harry, don't make me have to stun you!"  
  
Harry's eyes flew open now. They hardened into a glare and settled on Remus.  
  
"Harry, don't do anything hasty." Remus said, backing away. "Stupefy!" he cried, stunning the boy quickly.  
  
When Remus un-stunned Harry, Harry was on a couch downstairs. "Harry, are you quite calm now?" Remus asked, a tad irritably.  
  
"Yes." Harry grumbled, getting up from the couch. "Can I go now?"  
  
"No, we have to leave. Now let's go, we're going by Floo."  
  
"I don't want to go." Harry replied shortly.  
  
"Harry, don't be so difficult, you need a bit of closure."  
  
Remus lit the fire with his wand. "C'mon. Everyone else has already left."  
  
Harry crossed his arms. He felt like being especially uncooperative today. "No."  
  
"You know I can force you, don't make me stun you again." Remus sighed. "Look, I know you're hurting because of Sirius, but making life difficult for me and everyone else is not helping yourself, nor anyone else."  
  
Harry didn't move.  
  
"I'll drag you kicking and screaming if I have to. Harry, don't mess with me!"  
  
Harry moved back, glaring. Remus sighed and moved closer to Harry. Harry moved back, but Remus was too quick for him. He had the younger boy round the waist, pinning his arms to his sides.  
  
"Now, we can do this the easy way, or I can force you." Harry didn't say anything, so Remus made his way to the fireplace, dragging Harry along with him.  
  
He threw some Floo Powder in and shouted "Godric's Hollow Cemetery!"  
  
When he heard where they were headed, Harry was so shocked, he stopped struggling against Remus. When they fell out of the outdoor fireplace, he asked, "Godric's Hollow? Isn't this where my parents lived?"  
  
Remus nodded soundlessly. Harry shut up after that. Remus let Harry go and walked over to the chairs that were set up in the field, expecting Harry to follow.  
  
He nodded a hello to the Weaslys who were seated in the front row. Hermione was next to Ron; unshed tears shining in her eyes.  
  
Harry wordlessly took a seat next to Hermione. Remus sat next to him.  
  
There was a podium set up next to a coffin, which was probably empty. Dumbledore stood up in front, waiting for everyone to get there.  
  
It seemed Harry and Remus were the last ones to arrive. Dumbledore cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him.  
  
"We're here today to say good-bye to a very close friend," he said. "Sirius Black. Although many thought him to be a criminal, we all know otherwise. Sirius was a very brave man. He died in battle, exactly the way he would have chose."  
  
"He would have preferred not to die at all." Harry muttered, his arms crossed.  
  
"Close to both Lily and James Potter in his youth, Sirius was a very good friend to everyone." Dumbledore continued his speech as the casket was lowered into a hole in the ground.  
  
There was also a headstone. It read, "Sirius Black. May Snuffles live on." 


	4. Memories, Part Two

Chapter Four  
  
As Dumbledore's speech drew to a close, he called up Remus to say a few words.  
  
Remus cleared his throat and looked out at the crowd, his gaze stopping at Harry. "From the beginning of my school days," he began, "Sirius and have been best friends. Within our group, Sirius was always the one to cheer us up. He always had a joke to tell or a funny hex he'd invented, or something. After school, we'd drifted apart, but recently met up again three years ago." He stopped and Harry could see he was holding back tears. "I just wanted to say," Remus continued, rather choked up, "Goodbye Sirius. May the Marauders live on."  
  
He stepped down and took his seat. He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes on the corner of his sleeve.  
  
Dumbledore got back up. "Thank you Remus. I'd also like to ask one more person to say a few words, although he doesn't know it. Harry Potter?"  
  
Harry froze for a second. They wanted him to say something? He had no idea what to say. Maybe if they would have said something to him before-he couldn't do this, not now.  
  
Sirius would have wanted you to.  
  
Harry shooed the voice out of his head and looked down. His feet had somehow carried him to the podium.  
  
"Uh-" he began. "I didn't-I didn't know Sirius until three years ago." He swallowed. This was not going to be easy. There were much more people than there were in the DA and they were all older.  
  
"And even then, I have to say I believed the papers. But I got to know his side of the story and everything, and.He not only became something like a father-figure to me, he was also my friend, someone I could always turn to when in need of advice..." Harry swallowed; his voice was beginning to shake.  
  
"I miss him already and no one can take him place. Um, Thanks." Taking a deep breath, he sat back down. Remus gave him a reassuring smile.  
  
"You did good," he whispered.  
  
Harry shrugged. That speech had brought back a lot of memories. Of the first time Harry had met Sirius, of his warnings during the triwizard tournament.  
  
Harry watched the dirt being magically shoveled on top of Sirius' casket in silence. He looked around. Hermione was sobbing into Ron's shoulder, Ginny and her mother were crying into each other's arms, and even Fred and George were a little weepy.  
  
All the teachers and Order members had showed up. Moody and Kingsley were both blinking quite rapidly, Tonks had a few tears running down her cheeks, and McGonagall was sniffling a little bit.  
  
Harry didn't know why he wasn't crying. Sure, he was certainly sad, Sirius was his godfather! But all he could manage was numbness. He really didn't feel anything.  
  
"Come on Harry," Remus said softly at Harry's shoulder. This was hard for Remus; he was now the last real Marauder.  
  
Harry got up from his chair, but didn't move towards the fireplace. He walked toward Sirius' grave.  
  
"My parents are buried here, aren't they?" He whispered. He could see, but Remus nodded.  
  
As if in a trance, he almost floated to the grave. Next to him was one headstone.  
  
"Lily Marie Evans Potter and James Harold Potter. Soul mates, loving friends and parents. RIP"  
  
The emptiness was filled with an immense sadness. Harry wanted to cry, to burst into tears and just be done with it all, but he just meandered over to the fireplace. He took some Floo Powder and went back to Number 12 Grimmauld Place.  
  
Remus flooed in a few minuets later to find Harry running up the stairs. He took his time getting up there.  
  
Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were walking down the hallway towards Harry's room, but Remus shooed them away. He entered himself to find Harry seated on the bed, his knees up to his chest and his face in his arms.  
  
"Harry?" Remus asked cautiously. He approached him slowly incase there was a repeat of the morning.  
  
Harry didn't say anything, but his shoulder's started shaking. Remus sat down next to him, putting an arm around the nearly 16-year-old.  
  
Remus didn't say anything, but he rubbed Harry's shoulders gently. Harry looked up at Remus, his face tear stained.  
  
He buried his head in Remus' shoulder, sobbing his heart out. "It's okay," Remus soothed. "It'll all be alright."  
  
Apart from that, Remus really wasn't sure what to say. He knew what it was like to lose a close friend because of Voldemort; he'd lost enough of them.  
  
A single tear ran down Remus' face too. He wasn't full out crying like Harry; he'd already done enough of that.  
  
After a while, Harry's sobs stopped. He fell limp and Remus noticed he'd fallen asleep. Remus laid him back against the pillow and left the room, letting him sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Harry?" A voice asked softly. "Harry, dear, you have to wake up and eat something."  
  
Harry's eyes fluttered open to see Mrs. Weasly standing over him. He sat up against his pillows.  
  
"Ah, you're awake. Harry, come on downstairs."  
  
Harry was momentarily confused. Where was he, and how did he get there? He could remember a cemetery.  
  
And then it all came back, like his memory was on rewind. The relaxed mood he'd acquired from just waking up dissipated. He felt the emptiness that never left him alone. It was his fault Sirius had died. It was his fault his parents died. I was his fault everyone died.  
  
He slumped further down on the bed, and crossed his arms. He looked up at the ceiling, blinking rather rapidly.  
  
"Harry?" Mrs. Weasly questioned.  
  
"I'm not hungry," Harry said to her. He felt sick. Why should he be eating? Sirius never could again. It wasn't fair.  
  
"Nonsense!" Mrs. Weasly cried. "You hardly ate anything yesterday or the day before. You're skin and bones already." Her expression softened. "Harry, dear, I know you're distraught about this, but you've got to let people help you."  
  
Help him? Harry didn't need any help being a ruthless killer, why should he need help with anything else? He didn't, and Harry was going to let everyone know that.  
  
He glared at the witch and a few red sparks shot out of his ears. Damn this temper! He thought. Out loud, he hissed, "I don't need any one's help."  
  
"Harry Potter, you stop that!" Mrs. Weasly scolded. "I know you're hurting, but that's no reason to be difficult!" She had her hands on her hips and was glaring at Harry almost as fiercely as he was glaring at her.  
  
He was being difficult? Harry didn't think so. What could Mrs. Weasly do to him anyway? It wasn't like she could force him to do something he didn't want to. It was his choice to stop eating.  
  
The walls began to crack again and the whole room started to shake. Not just the door, but the whole room.  
  
"Harry, you're going to hurt yourself!" Mrs. Weasly shouted as a book fell off of the dresser. She threw up her hands and stomped away. Harry supposed she went to go get Remus before he knocked down the whole house.  
  
Harry on the other hand, was glad he was being so destructive. The goblet he'd conjured fell to the floor with a clang.  
  
The door flew open with a bang. "Harry, calm down!" Remus yelled. He ran into the room and had Harry by the shoulders.  
  
Right next to him, Remus bellowed. "Harry, you're not the only one that lost someone!" 


	5. A bit of advice

Chapter Five  
  
"Harry, you're not the only one that lost someone!"  
  
The effect of this statement shocked Harry to calmness. He blinked and his magic stopped. Harry just stared at Remus. He knew this all along, of course, but it never really hit home until now. He wasn't sure what to say to this, so he just kept quiet.  
  
"Come downstairs." It was not a suggestion, but an order.  
  
Harry considered this for a moment. Why should he eat when Sirius couldn't? In fact, Harry wasn't even hungry. He was feeling rather ill, and thought a nice nap sounded good.  
  
"I'm not hungry," Harry replied.  
  
Remus sighed and Harry knew he was right. Refusing to eat on Sirius' behalf was irrational, selfish, and stupid. He wasn't the only one who missed Sirius. Remus probably felt the same, even worse, than Harry did.  
  
Remus definitely felt worse. Sirius had been his best friend and they had known each other since they were children. Harry had only known him three years.  
  
Harry couldn't believe a few seconds ago he'd been so selfish. He was disgusted with himself.  
  
"Harry, I am not giving you a choice. Downstairs, now." Remus said calmly. Harry noticed for the first time how weary he looked. Losing a friend and having to yell at Harry were taking a toll on his well being.  
  
Sighing a bit, Harry got up off of the bed slowly. A dull ache had formed at the back of his head, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.  
  
He followed Remus down the stairs to the basement kitchen. The occupants of the house were seated at the table, chatting happily and eating Mrs. Weasly's delicious cooking.  
  
Remus sat down and pointed to the seat between himself and Hermione. Harry took the hint and the chair. He carefully avoided the eyes of the people around him.  
  
"Oh, Harry, we were worried!" Hermione cried, gesturing to herself, Ron and Ginny. "Are you alright then?"  
  
"I'm fine," Harry muttered. He wondered how long he could sit there before Remus actually made him eat something.  
  
"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, giving him a concerned look.  
  
"Yes!" Harry snapped. Why couldn't people mind their own business? He looked up to see Hermione looking down and blinking rapidly.  
  
He turned on the other side to see Remus looking at him curiously. "You know," Remus began, his eyes twinkling a little, "I dragged you down here to eat something, not to tell off your friends and retreat into your shell."  
  
Harry glared at Remus as he piled food on his plate. "Eat every bit of it. You're looking rather pale as it is."  
  
Picking up a fork, Harry felt particularly vengeful towards Remus. He was not pale, and even if he was, it wasn't due to not eating.  
  
He pushed the food around on his plate and ended up eating half of it. As soon as Remus started talking to other members of the Order, he escaped back up to his-no, Sirius'-room.  
  
He collapsed onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't even bother to look up when someone knocked at his door and Ginny entered the room.  
  
"Harry?" she asked softly, going up to him. "Harry, I'm not going to ask you if you're alright, I already know the answer to that."  
  
Harry sat up, not really wanting to see her, but at the same time needing to talk to someone.  
  
"I want to talk to you as a friend, not as you're best friends younger sister," Ginny continued. She sat down on the end of the bed. "You know you can talk to me, right?"  
  
Harry thought about this for a moment. He'd never really regarded Ginny as a real friend before, and he thought it was time enough to start. "Yeah," he muttered, taking a sudden interest in the bedspread.  
  
"You've been so distant lately, what's on your mind?" Ginny asked, looking at him.  
  
He avoided her eyes. He would've loved to say nothing and left it at that, but some part of him was willing to talk to her. So instead what came out was, "Everyone who's died so far died because of me."  
  
Ginny became stern. "Harry, you've got to stop being such a selfish prat." Harry looked up sharply at this. How was this being selfish?  
  
She went on. "Just because You-know-who is after you, doesn't mean he kills everyone because of you. And don't look at me like that"-Harry had thrown her a skeptical look- "it's true. Sirius is dead because he was fighting the war, not because of you."  
  
When she finally finished this rant, she looked back at Harry, slightly red in the face.  
  
Harry could feel his temper rising again, as it had so often as of late. "You don't-what do you-you can't-you've never" he spluttered, goggling at her.  
  
Ginny however, simply sat back with a smug look. "There, see. You know it's true."  
  
And she was right; Harry knew she was. But that was the sort of thing he would never admit to anyone, ever.  
  
When Ginny saw the look on his face, she softened considerably. "Look, I know you're down because of this, but you have to let him go," she said gently. "Sirius would have wanted you to move on."  
  
"I'll never know what Sirius would have wanted, now will I?" Harry said under his breath.  
  
But Ginny didn't hear and hopped off of the bed. She headed for the door. "Come on, Hermione, Ron and I are all playing exploding snap. Why don't you join us?"  
  
Reluctantly, Harry got up and followed her to the room. Maybe she was right. Maybe Sirius would have wanted him to get on with life. Of course he would. He couldn't live cooped up in a bedroom for the rest of his life after all! 


	6. Owls

Chapter Six  
  
The days flew by and almost before he knew it, it was Harry's sixteenth birthday. He wasn't looking forward to it, he almost never did.  
  
So on this July thirty first, Harry woke up with a jolt. An owl was tapping at the window. He got up lazily to get it, in a rather good mood, but irritated it had woken him up.  
  
He opened the window, but it only stayed long enough to give Harry the letter. He noticed it was a Hogwarts owl.  
  
He opened the letter to find it was the usual start of term notice and book list. He needed four new books this year:  
  
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6 by Miranda Goshawk Dueling: A Complete History by Caroline Curse Dark Lords: Rises, Falls, and History by Mary Brocklehurst So You Want to Be an Auror? By Romulus Lupin  
  
Harry skimmed the list and did a double take on the last book. Lupin? He made a mental note to asked Remus about it later.  
  
Another sheet of paper fell out of the envelope. But before Harry could get a good look, Hermione came bounding into the room, Ron trailing behind.  
  
"Did you get them?" she asked excitedly, jumping onto the end of the bed. "I got mine, look!" She thrust a piece of paper under Harry's nose. He took it from her, all the while giving her a strange look.  
  
"Dear Miss Granger,  
  
We are pleased to present your OWL results are as follows:  
  
Astronomy: Outstanding History of Magic: Outstanding Potions: Exceeds Expectations Transfiguration: Outstanding Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding Charms: Outstanding Ancient Runes: Exceeds Expectations Herbology: Outstanding Arithmacy: Outstanding Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding  
  
Congratulations on your achievement. We are also pleased to inform you that you are first out of your year.  
  
You will be picking NEWT classes this fall, please think about it over the summer.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress"  
  
Harry groaned to himself after he had read it. With the events of the summer so far, he'd forgotten about OWL's. Harry grinned at Hermione, trying to seem cheerful. "Congrats, 'Mione, that's great!"  
  
"I know!" she squealed. "Anyway, what'd you get?"  
  
Harry chucked to himself as Ron rolled his eyes behind her. "I wouldn't know, haven't looked yet."  
  
He picked up the forgotten sheet of parchment and read it quickly.  
  
"Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
We are pleased to present your OWL results are as follows:  
  
Astronomy: Outstanding History of Magic: Exceeds Expectations Potions: Outstanding Transfiguration: Outstanding Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding Charms: Outstanding Herbology: Outstanding Divination: Acceptable Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding  
  
Congratulations on your achievement. We are also pleased to inform you that you are second out of your year.  
  
You will be picking NEWT classes this fall, please think about it over the summer.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress"  
  
Harry froze after reading the letter. "Harry?" Hermione asked, trying to get his attention. When he still sat there, staring at the parchment, she pried it out of his hands and read it herself.  
  
Second in the year.it had to be a mistake. There was no way. The Ravenclaws had to have beaten him somewhere.besides, he knew he had done simply dreadful on the History of Magic exam. Yet the results were right there in front of him, there was the E penned in green ink.  
  
"Oh Harry, that's wonderful!" Hermione cried, throwing her arms around him. That startled him out of his reverie. "Second in the year!"  
  
"There's got to be a mistake," Harry said aloud, still looking like a fish out of water.  
  
"No, that's right, come on, we've got to show everyone!" Hermione took hold of his hand and dragged him downstairs. Harry looked back and threw Ron a helpless look.  
  
Ron, who was looking rather put out and ignored before hand, gave Harry a sympathetic smile, and followed them all downstairs.  
  
The three met everyone in the basement kitchen where Mrs. Weasly was fixing breakfast.  
  
Hermione practically skipped in, and showed her her paper along with Harry's. Harry stood off to one side, feeling rather shy. The next thing he knew, Mrs. Weasly had him in a bone-crushing hug.  
  
"First and second in your year! I'm so proud!" she said. Once she had Harry and Hermione go, she turned to Ron. "And your results, please?"  
  
Ron handed over the paper reluctantly. He looked down at the floor. Apparently he wasn't too pleased with his own results.  
  
"Six OWL's." Mrs. Weasly said, mostly to herself "Could be better, but still good." She gave Ron a hug then turned to the three of them.  
  
"Why don't you all go show Remus and I'll finish breakfast," she suggested, waving them away. "Go on!"  
  
Ron handed Harry his paper and looked away. It said the same thing as Harry's, only his grades were different. Ron had failed Potions, Astronomy, and Divination. He was also fourteenth in the year.  
  
Harry didn't say anything, but gave his friend a bit of a smile.  
  
Hermione was already handing over hers and Harry's papers to Remus. Remus looked at them and gave Hermione a hug. Then he turned to Harry.  
  
The werewolf looked up at Harry from where he was sitting. "Your parents would have been proud," he said quietly. "Sirius would have been too."  
  
Harry didn't say anything, but nodded. He looked down, finding a crack on the table suddenly very interesting.  
  
"Don't dwell on it okay?" Remus gave him a concerned look, and then Ron spoke up.  
  
Mrs. Weasly came in then with breakfast. Harry ate heartily, but realized halfway through that something was odd.  
  
It hit him so suddenly he almost thought someone had hit him round the head. It was his sixteenth birthday and no one had even bid him a Happy Birthday.  
  
He wasn't going to say anything about it though. He didn't want to sound like a burden or anything, but an acknowledgement of his birthday would have been nice.  
  
Once the table was cleared, Remus cleared his throat. "Right, as you four," Harry had momentarily forgotten about Ginny "have gotten your supply lists, we should go into London today."  
  
Mrs. Weasly nodded in agreement, smiling to herself. Harry thought she looked rather suspicious, but Harry dismissed it.  
  
"We'll be leaving by Floo, come on then, you all." Remus picked up a cloak and walked over to the fireplace. "Ginny, you first."  
  
Ginny took a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it into the flames. "Diagon Alley!" she shouted clearly.  
  
Hermione and Ron followed this same procedure, and then it was Harry's turn. He took a bit of the ashy powder and tossed it into the fireplace. He stepped in, a little nervous. The last time he'd traveled by Floo Powder, he'd ended up at the wrong gate. It was just lucky Hagrid was there. But suppose he wasn't there this time?  
  
"Diagon Alley!" Harry shouted. 


	7. Suprise!

Chapter Seven  
  
"Diagon Alley!"  
  
Much to Harry's relief, he came out of the right grate this time. He tumbled out of the fireplace in the leaky Cauldron covered in soot, much to everyone else's amusement. He fixed his glasses right on his nose, glaring.  
  
Remus flicked his wand at him, clearing away the soot. "Off to Florish and Blotts then," he said with a chuckle.  
  
Harry glared at him again and stomped off on the way to the bookshop. He actually wasn't so angry about the fireplace, but more that everyone had forgotten his birthday. He walked past the Owl Emporium, and remembered that he'd gotten Hedwig there.  
  
He looked at his book list, checking the books he needed. Finding them quickly, he then went to pay for them.  
  
In front of him in line was none other than Luna Lovegood. She turned around, facing him. "Oh, hello," she said in her dreamy tone. She gestured to a girl next to her with rather icy blue eyes and blonde hair nearly as long as Luna's with blue and bronze streaks. "This is Sandrine Dallas, same year as me. She's a Ravenclaw too."  
  
The girl, Sandrine, giggled a bit and gave Harry a wave. Luna abruptly lost her dreamy mood. She leaned over to Harry and whispered, "She's a bit smitten with you." She rolled her eyes, glancing over at Sandrine.  
  
"Who isn't?" Harry muttered. He turned to Sandrine and said politely, "Hello."  
  
Sandrine giggled again and disappeared behind the tall stack of books she was carrying.  
  
It was Sandrine and Luna's turn to check out then. They both paid for their books. "Bye Harry," Luna said, walking off.  
  
"Yeah, bye!" Sandrine giggled once more, waved, and left the store. Harry paid for his own books. He was unpleasantly reminded of Marietta Edgecomb, one of Cho's giggly girlfriends. Except now, the giggling had been directed at him.  
  
He took his books and saw Remus, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny at the end of the line. He went around it to stand with them.  
  
"Finally, we've been calling you for five minuets!" Hermione said impatiently when he reached them. "Who were you talking to? Was that Luna? Who was that girl with her?"  
  
"Hermione, breath," Harry said, chuckling. "Yes that was Luna. The girl with her was another Ravenclaw, Sandrine Dallas. Ginny, you wouldn't happen to know her, would you?"  
  
Ginny looked up from reading the back of one of her textbooks. "Sandy? Yeah, she's in my care of magical creatures class. She's er." Ginny trailed off, but Harry interrupted,  
  
"A bit smitten with me? I've heard." Ginny nodded.  
  
"Yeah, smitten sounds good."  
  
"She'll be joining Colin's fan club any day then," Ron butted in. Harry blushed a bit.  
  
The line shuffled forward and it was the group's turn to pay, which they did. They walked back out into the sunshine, squinting a little after the rather dim lights in the store.  
  
"You four can go off, but be back in an hour," Remus said to them. "Behave, please. I don't want to have you all wreaking havoc."  
  
"When have we ever done that before?" Harry demanded. He was still rather sore at Remus.  
  
Remus sighed. "You're right, you haven't. James and Sirius couldn't go anywhere with out pulling something." he seemed to realize what he was saying, and changed the subject. "Off you go then!"  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny spent the next hour going through shops, and getting things they would need for the next year. They were done with ten minuets to spare and decided to look around in Quality Quidditch Supplies.  
  
When Ron was looking at a new broom in the window, Harry went up to him. "Er, Ron, you wouldn't happen to know what day it is, would you?"  
  
Ron looked up sharply at that. He saw Harry's confused expression and replied, "Er, Thursday I believe, why?"  
  
"Is anything going on today?" When Harry asked this, he could see Ron turn decidedly nervous.  
  
"Uh."  
  
"We've got to go meet Remus!" a voice interrupted brightly. Harry saw that it was Hermione.  
  
"Hermione, what's today?" Harry asked. They couldn't have all forgotten his birthday, some one had to know.  
  
"Thursday," Hermione replied. "Come now, Ginny, Ron, let's go." Once Hermione had gathered everyone, she started towards the door.  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Potty and his little friends." It was Malfoy.  
  
"Bugger off Malfoy," Harry snapped. He was in no mood to deal with him at the moment. He felt forgotten.  
  
"What's the matter, did your girlfriends forget a date?" Malfoy sneered.  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously. How did Malfoy know about that? Or was it just a coincidence?  
  
"Oh go bother someone who cares, Malfoy," Hermione said, walking around him. The rest of the group followed her, leaving Malfoy in the store.  
  
They made their way back to Florish and Blotts to meet Remus. Rather desperately, Harry went up to him. "Remus please tell me you have some idea as to what today is!"  
  
"Thursday, last time I checked," Remus replied. His eyes twinkled, and Harry got the feeling there was something he wasn't telling him.  
  
Remus just sheparded the teenagers into the fireplace and back to number twelve, Grimmauld Place, ignoring Harry.  
  
Harry tumbled out of the fireplace, thankfully not covered in soot this time. Grinning, Remus led Harry downstairs to where Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had just run off too.  
  
"SURPRISE!" yelled the group of people. The room was decorated in red and gold with a large banner draped from one side to the other. It read, "Happy Birthday, Harry!"  
  
Harry gaped at them, nearly dropping the packages he was carrying. He set them down just in time.  
  
"No way." Harry whispered. Out loud, he continued, "But I thought you'd forgotten."  
  
Mrs. Weasly bustled forward and gave him a big hug. "Of course we hadn't forgotten! We wanted to surprise you!" she said when she'd let go.  
  
"Well, I'm definitely surprised." Harry looked around. Most of the order was there, along with all of the Weasly's, bar Percy. In fact, it was the first time Harry had seen Fred and George that summer.  
  
"Okay, time to open presents!" Mrs. Weasly shouted, shuffling everyone into a circle around the table. Harry looked over at the table, which he now noticed was laden with gift-wrapped parcels.  
  
"You didn't have to do this!" Harry muttered to Mrs. Weasly, blushing furiously.  
  
"Oh, I know, but I'd heard from Ron that you'd never had a decent birthday, so I thought it was about time to start." Mrs. Weasly replied. "Now you go sit at the head of the table, and open your gifts!" 


	8. Home again

Chapter Eight  
  
Lying in bed that night, Harry felt oddly satisfied. He'd had a great time and had gotten lots of great gifts. Hermione had gotten him a box of chocolate frogs and Remus had gotten him a book on defense. The Weaslys had all chipped in to get him a wrist watch that not only told the time, but if you entered people, it would tell you where they were and it would also tell you what you had to do. It did all sorts of other things, but Harry was left to figure them out by himself.  
  
All in all, it was a very good day. Cho had even sent him a Gryffindor Pendant. There was a knock on the door suddenly, bringing Harry out of his thoughts and back to Earth with an unpleasant bump.  
  
"Come in," Harry called out. Remus walked in, holding a package wrapped in brown paper.  
  
"Hey Harry, I wanted to give you something," Remus said, sitting down on the end of Harry's bed. He handed Harry the package, looking rather depressed.  
  
As Harry opened the package, he saw why. It was a book, entitled, "The Marauder's Prankbook". He stared at it for a moment and two pieces of paper fell out of the wrappings. The one he picked up first was yellowed with age and worn, as though it had been read many times.  
  
"Dear Harry,  
  
We may or may not be around to give you this, but we were saving it for your sixteenth birthday.  
  
Your father and his friends wrote this while they were at school. It was Sirius' idea and they all thought it was a good one. The idea was to write a book of their pranks and gags and all the rules for the next generation of Marauders. Since you're the only one, this book now belongs to you.  
  
Take care of it, as I know you will. I won't tell you not to get any ideas, because I know you already have.  
  
As I'm writing this, I'm watching you sleep peacefully in your crib. It's so hard to believe that we may not be around when you get this gift and this letter.  
  
Both your father and I want you to know we love you tons and we'll always be with you- just not in body.  
  
Love, Mum"  
  
It was increasingly hard for Harry to keep the tears out of his eyes. He took a deep breath and picked up the other paper. This one wasn't as old, but it was just as creased.  
  
"Harry,  
  
I don't know why, but I've got this feeling that I've got to write this letter now, because I might not be around to write it later. But here it goes.  
  
I was saving this for your sixteenth birthday at your parent's wishes. I'm sure you've already read Lily's letter, so I'm pretty sure you know what this is.  
  
It was my idea, so credit where credit is due. But we all put it together, even Peter, although I don't want to ruin your birthday with thoughts of him.  
  
Use the book at your own risk, but don't let it fall in the wrong hand, namely Malfoy. Filch has wanted it for years, but we've always kept it from him. But don't worry too much, I can't even remember all the protection spells we put on it.  
  
Always remember the number one rule, 'Thou shall not get caught'. Happy Pranking.  
  
Happy Sweet Sixteen. Love, Sirius."  
  
Harry sniffled and looked through the book. It was filled with tons of pranks the Marauders had pulled while they were at school and other things besides. He didn't bother to wipe away the tears welling up in his eyes.  
  
"Thanks Remus," he managed to say. Remus nodded.  
  
"Your welcome." ~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Up, Harry, UP! You'll miss the train!" Harry woke up groggily, realizing with a start that it was September First and he still had to pack some things. He dragged himself out of bed.  
  
"That's better. Hurry up and finish packing, then take it downstairs." Mrs. Weasly said, leaving the room to wake up someone else.  
  
Harry wiped the sleep out of his eyes and threw the bits of parchment and such into his open trunk. He was about to clear off the dresser, when he stopped and noticed the parchment book. He picked it up and set it gently on the top of everything.  
  
He dragged the trunk and Hedwig's cage (she was in it, sleeping) downstairs. Then he collapsed into a chair next to Ron who looked like he was about to fall asleep over his cereal.  
  
After much yelling, pushing, packing, and general chaos, everyone was ready and standing around an old newspaper, touching it with one finger.  
  
"Three, two-" Mr. Weasly was saying as he glanced at his watch. Harry felt the now familiar tug and the group disappeared in swirling colors.  
  
They all landed safely in one corner of platform nine and three quarters. Hermione and Ron were both hugged by Mrs. Weasly and Harry made to follow them when he was caught in a hug of his own.  
  
"Now don't go finding trouble this year!" Mrs. Weasly lectured him. Harry just nodded and smiled at her. When she let him go, she sighed and waved him on.  
  
Ten feet away from the train, he was caught again from behind. This time it was Remus.  
  
Harry blushed furiously. "Bye, Professor." He said awkwardly.  
  
Remus sighed, "Harry please! We're not at school, call me Remus!"  
  
"Er. Ok, Remus." Harry said. "Bye then." Remus opened his mouth to say something and got cut off by Harry. "And I promise I'll be a good boy and I won't go looking for trouble." He paused. "And Remus, on the book list, Romulus Lupin.?"  
  
Remus gave a half smile. "I wondered when you'd ask about that. My brother wrote it a while ago. Before-" Remus stopped suddenly and forced a smile. "Just, go get on the train. I'll see you soon."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Harry ran off and was greeted by Hermione and Ron, who were waiting for him. "Neville's found us a compartment, come on." Hermione announced. Harry dragged his trunk after her. When he got to the compartment, he saw Ginny, Neville, and Luna were already there.  
  
"Hi guys," Harry greeted, sitting down after putting up his trunk. "What's new?"  
  
Luna nodded a hello; she was currently absorbed in the latest edition of the Quibbler. The magazine was right side up this time and Luna didn't look up.  
  
The train started moving and the group was soon engrossed in conversation about various things. The time flew by and surprisingly; they were at Hogwarts almost before Harry knew it.  
  
As they all got off of the train, Harry heard the familiar voice ushering the new first years to the boats. He grinned as Hagrid waved then waved back.  
  
Harry moved towards one of the thestral-drawn carriages when someone stepped in front of him. Harry looked up and groaned. Malfoy.  
  
"What's the matter Potty, are you afraid of missing the carriages? Then you won't get to sit next to your mudblood girlfriend." Malfoy taunted.  
  
Harry's temper flared. "Don't say that about her! And she's not my girlfriend!" Much as he tried to prevent it, a pink tinge appeared in his cheeks.  
  
Malfoy scoffed. "How sweet, sticking up for her now, are we?"  
  
"Just get out of my way!" Harry shouted, elbowing Malfoy as he pushed past him. Malfoy grabbed his arm just as he was about to get away. The blonde boy pulled him around, wand brandished.  
  
"Watch where you're going, Potty. I've got an eye on you."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, but was weary of him nonetheless. With his father in prison, Malfoy would have a new reason to be horrible to Harry. Malfoy finally let go and Harry made his way to a carriage.  
  
It was just his luck that the only empty one he could find was with Cho and all of her girlfriends. As soon as Harry entered and sat down, they were all huddled together, whispering.  
  
Cho looked up from the middle of this group and met Harry's eyes. He blushed and so did she, but she gave him a tiny smile. The next second, her head was bent and she was whispering again.  
  
The ride was over quickly and Harry met up with Ron and Hermione again. They took their seats in the Great Hall and waited for the sorting to begin. Ron, as usual, was complaining that he was hungry.  
  
McGonagall brought out the hat and stool and the rip near the brim opened as it began to sing.  
  
  
  
The school broke into applause and the first name was called. "Batt, Radley."  
  
A small boy with bleach blonde hair came running forward. The hat barely reached his head when it yelled, "HUFFLEPUFF!"  
  
Harry clapped politely with the rest of the houses as Radley Batt went to sit at the Hufflepuff table.  
  
"Davis, Hope."  
  
"GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
Harry applauded the new Gryffindor girl. She sat down at one end of the table, looking rather relieved.  
  
The sorting continued, and Harry caught bits of it. He wasn't really paying attention.  
  
He had noticed, however, a new witch at the staff table. From where Harry sat, he saw that she was rather tall. She had tanned skin and long, curly blonde hair. It was a much relief to see a normal person taking the defense job (as that was what Harry suspected she was doing there) as opposed to someone like Umbridge.  
  
The sorting hat was now placing a Hamilton, Lillian, who looked as if she could pass for Ginny's twin.  
  
As McGonagall called her name, she glared and said, "I go by Tiger Lily. Only." McGonagall glared right back and put the hat on her head. It didn't even get there yet when it screeched, "SLYTHERIN!"  
  
There was a smattering of applause, but mostly, all the girl got was strange looks. She smiled politely and sat next to Malfoy.  
  
Harry tuned it out again and turned to Ron, who was next to him. "You reckon that's our new defense teacher?" he asked, gesturing to the blonde witch.  
  
Ron just shrugged. "Probably. She looks normal enough."  
  
Harry nodded and caught the last girl being sorted.  
  
"Wilson, Diana."  
  
"RAVENCLAW!"  
  
McGonagall rolled up the scroll and took away the hat. Dumbledore stood up to make his announcements. "I know you are all eager to get to the feast, so tuck in.," he announced, his eyes twinkling brightly.  
  
Harry loaded his plate with food and listened to all the conversations around him. Ron and Hermione were arguing like always, over something completely stupid.  
  
"All you ever think about is food, I'm just saying there are more important things in life!" Hermione was protesting, glaring across the table.  
  
"Well there is more to life than studying all the time!" Ron shot back, glaring too. "You of all people should understand that."  
  
It seemed as though Hermione couldn't think of anything to say to that, so she shut up and buried her nose in the book she'd brought with her off the train. Ron had gone back to his dinner, ignoring her, but Harry could see tears gather at the corner of her eyes.  
  
On his other side, Ginny and a group of her friends were discussing Quidditch. "I'm trying out for chaser this year," she was saying matter-of- factly. "You should too, Robyn."  
  
A girl sitting next to Ginny with brown, shoulder length hair shrugged. "I don't know, I don't think I would be very good at it."  
  
"Of course you would!" Ginny encouraged. "Besides, Gryffindor needs practically a whole need team."  
  
When the last bits of ice cream had faded from the golden plates, Dumbledore stood up once again.  
  
"First years are to note the forest on the ground is out-of-bounds to all students, as is the village of Hogsmead to those below third year. Filch has also asked me to remind you all that there is to be no magic in the corridors and the list of forbidden objects has been extended to include skiving snackboxes, which I believe are a Weasly's Wizard Wheezes creation."  
  
He looked to the teacher's table for conformation and the defense witch nodded. "Right, we also have a new teacher among our ranks, Professor McKinney will be teaching defense against the dark arts.  
  
McKinney stood up and waved, grinning. Perhaps it was because she seemed so friendly, or maybe they were just happy to have someone who wasn't Umbridge. Whatever the reason, McKinney got the most applause of the new teachers that had been there. She sat back down and Dumbledore continued.  
  
"I believe that is all, prefects, please lead your houses back to the dorms."  
  
Hermione hopped up as soon as Dumbledore was done and left, helping the fifth year prefects lead the first years.  
  
Hermione and Ron were still prefects, but they didn't have as many duties. They still had to patrol the castle occasionally, but it was mostly up to the fifth years. The sixth years were however, in charge of special occasions.  
  
Harry trailed at the end of the group. He was soon at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower and realized he didn't know the password. "Great." He muttered, taking a seat on the bench off to the side.  
  
The portrait hall opened and Hermione came out. "There you are. The password is Fairy Lights."  
  
Harry nodded and followed her back in. Then he went up to the tower, changed and fell in to bed, fairly happy. 


	9. Important Author's Note, please read!

Chapter Nine  
  
On the way to his first class the next day, McGonagall stopped Harry in the hallway.  
  
"Potter, may I have a word?" she asked as she caught up with him.  
  
"Sure professor, what about?" Harry replied.  
  
"It's about Quidditch." McGonagall began. "We've only got two members on the team this year. We still need a captain and you've been on the team for nearly five years. Would you do it?"  
  
Harry had to think about this for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure about this. He didn't think he would be very good at it.But then he remembered the DA.  
  
"I'll do it," Harry assured McGonagall.  
  
She nodded. "Alright then. Get to class. I believe you have McKinney now?"  
  
Harry nodded and hurried off to class. He slid into a seat next to Hermione as McKinney was calling roll.  
  
When she was finished, she set the scroll on her desk and stood in front of the chalkboard. "As you all should know, I'm Professor McKinney." She began. "You all have done magical creatures and a few curses. This year, we are going to be learning to duel and other such charms and counter spells."  
  
"Perhaps," she went on, "I should tell you a bit about myself, and how this class will be run. I expect you all do turn in assignments on time and at least try and pay attention. We can have fun in here as long as you do what you're told. Everyone clear?"  
  
There was a chorus of, "Yes Ma'am."  
  
"Good. For the remainder of the class, please read chapter one of 'Dueling, a Complete History'."  
  
Harry pulled out his textbook and read the chapter along with the rest of the class. Soon enough, the class was over.  
  
"What did McGonagall want to talk to you about, Harry?" Hermione asked as they were heading for charms.  
  
"Oh, she just wanted to know if I'd be Quidditch Captain." Harry replied casually. He slid into his seat in the charms room.  
  
They reviewed the levitation charm and for homework and had to write a three foot essay on it for homework.  
  
Ron, as usual was grumbling about it as they left for lunch. "How can you write three feet?" he groaned. "It makes things float. Swish, flick!"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "There's more to it than that!" he explained. "There's history, who invented it and."  
  
Harry, by now had tuned them all out. He was thinking of Sirius again. It was just his luck to have Snape come up to him.  
  
"Dumbledore has requested that I inform you of your-ahem-remedial potions lessons this evening at seven." With that said, Snape swept off back to the staff table.  
  
Several younger Gryffindors snickered at this, as did the whole of the Slytherin table. Harry tried to glare holes in Snape's back, but looks can't kill so Snape was still alive.  
  
Harry wasn't, of course, really in remedial potions, but the lesson was in fact one for Occlumency. Ron and Hermione both knew this. Harry caught Hermione's glance and smiled slightly.  
  
The rest of the day flew by, as the day does when you're dreading something as Harry was. Nearly before he knew it, it was seven and Harry was on the way to the dungeons for his Occlumency lesson. Ron and Hermione had offered to come along for moral support, but Harry had declined.  
  
He rapped on the door and waited for Snape to answer. "Enter," he boomed, and Harry did so.  
  
Snape was grading papers when Harry walked in. The teacher stood upon the entrance, and strode over.  
  
"Hopefully this time, you will be more competent," Snape said shortly. "Clear your mind."  
  
Harry took a deep breath, and attempted to clear his mind. But before he could, Snape had shouted, "Legimus!"  
  
The first attempt on his mind came unexpected and Harry fell to his knees. Sirius ran through his mind. From the day he met him to his death flashed before his eyes.  
  
"I'm also-I don't know if anyone ever told you, but I'm also your godfather."  
  
".Once my name's cleared, if you wanted a.a different home."  
  
"Harry, take the prophecy and run!"  
  
"Come on, you can do better than that!"  
  
"POTTER!"  
  
Harry snapped back to the present as Snape yelled his name. He was on his knees, bent over with his hands on his forehead. He stood up quickly.  
  
"You are obviously not trying hard enough. If I can get into the memories of whom you care most about, then you are not even close." Harry could tell Snape was making an effort to say calm, and Harry had to wonder why on Earth he would bother.  
  
"Now clear you mind," the potions' master snapped. "Think of nothing. Your mind has to be a complete blank."  
  
Harry tried to clear his mind, he really did. But he couldn't keep the thought of a near-calm Snape out of his head.  
  
"Legimus!"  
  
"Portengo!"  
  
Harry was almost ready this time. His shield was weak, but it was up. Snape's spell tore through it like it was nothing.  
  
"Karkaroff.Harry, he was a Death Eater." Sirius's voice sounded far off, as though coming from a mile away. The shield had weakened the spell ever so slightly.  
  
"You can do better than that!" He watched as Sirius fell gracefully into the arch.  
  
"You can do better than that!"  
  
"Better than that!"  
  
"Better than that!"  
  
"NOOO!!!" Harry broke the memories with his yell, to fine he was on his knees again, bent over onto the floor. Sirius was gone.and all Harry could think about were his last words. His shoulders started to shake slightly, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.  
  
"You are weak!" Snape yelled. "Get up! You should not care so much! People are weak, and if you expect to get by Lord Voldemort, you had better learn it! Caring will do nothing but get you killed."  
  
Harry wiped his eyes and stood up, still shaking a little. Snape was right, he was being weak. There was nothing he could do about Sirius, or anything.  
  
"Now get out!" Snape bellowed, stalking towards Harry. Harry dashed out of the room and Snape slammed the door behind him.  
  
Harry walked into the common room, an hour before Ron or Hermione was expecting him. They were standing in front of the fire, not an inch of daylight between them. And that wasn't even the worst part. They were kissing.  
  
A/N: I know, I know. I promised no more notes. But I really have to pt this here. I just want to say sorry for the cliffie, but it was very fitting. I'll have the next chapter up in less time than this one.  
  
Also, thank you for all the support and reviews telling e not to rush the story. I love you guys; keep reviewing! 


	10. Occlumency, Take Three!

Chapter Ten  
  
Harry walked into the common room, an hour before Ron or Hermione was expecting him. They were standing in front of the fire, not an inch of daylight between them. And that wasn't even the worst part. They were kissing.  
  
Harry couldn't move for shock. His jaw dropped towards the floor and he just stared. "What-You-Two-" he spluttered.  
  
Ron and Hermione jumped apart. "Harry, come on, don't be like that!" Ron began.  
  
"Yeah, we can explain!" Hermione jumped in.  
  
Harry just glared at the both of them. "I don't want to hear it!" he bellowed and ran up to his dorm. He slammed the door and flung himself onto his bed. He tried to remember Remus's Anger Management class. He tried to take a deep breath and count to ten, but he couldn't calm down. The walls around him flickered different colors. Harry picked up the nearest thing (Ron's copy of Dueling: A History) and chucked it at the window as hard as he could.  
  
Instead of going through the window, it bounced back and lay on the floor. Frustrated, Harry picked up something else (This something was a pot of blue ink) and threw it at the wall. It shattered, covering the carpet with blue ink.  
  
Harry let out a quiet, muffled yell and wished the stupid ink would clean itself up. To his surprise, it did.  
  
Slightly shocked, Harry convinced himself he was seeing things. A good fly would take care of everything. He snapped up his broom and stalked downstairs. He brushed past his former friends, who were sitting on a couch, talking.  
  
When he reached the pitch, he mounted his broom and flew around it. The feel of the wind in his hair brought him back and calmed him down considerably.  
  
He flew for at least an hour longer until it was dark. He landed and dismounted, ready to talk to Ron and Hermione.  
  
But when he got the common room, it was deserted. Harry glanced at the clock over the fire place-it was pretty late. He went up to his dorm, to find Ron and the rest of his housemates were already sleeping.  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning, Harry left the dorm to find Ron and Hermione. He managed to hunt them down half way to the Great Hall.  
  
He caught up to them and, arms crossed, he said simply, "Explain."  
  
"Harry, it was nothing, I promise!" Hermione cried. "We were just-we got to talking and-"  
  
"It was just to see-to see if anything was there," Ron interrupted.  
  
"And?" Harry prompted, his patience wearing thin. Both Ron and Hermione seemed to be at a loss for words. He threw up his hands and stomped into the Great Hall.  
  
"All right there, Harry?" said a squeaky voice to Harry's left. Still seeing red, Harry turned. Colin.  
  
Harry took a deep breath and said calmly. "Colin, bugger off." But instead of leaving, Colin snapped a picture.  
  
Something in Harry snapped. He pointed his wand at Colin's camera and said a few words. It fell to the floor and burst into flames. Harry watched with little satisfaction as it smoldered.  
  
Several things happened at once. Colin glared at Harry and told him he was a bad role model, Ginny (who was in the room) started yelling, saying how it wasn't Colin's fault, the Slytherins started laughing, Ron and Hermione walked in looking downtrodden and Dumbledore shot sparks into the air.  
  
"Miss Weasley, please have a seat." He said and Ginny sat. "Mr. Creevey, your camera will be fine." Colin looked relieved and picked it back up. He pulled out the film in a burst of steam.  
  
"Mr. Potter, please follow me." Still fuming slightly, Harry picked up his bag and followed the headmaster out of the hall, up several flights of stairs and to his office.  
  
"Have a seat," Dumbledore said and Harry dropped down in the cushioned chair in front of the desk. "Would you care for a lemon drop?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "Professor, I can explain, I-" But the headmaster interrupted him.  
  
"I'm sure you can. I would just like you to know I am here if you'd like to talk," he said pleasantly. "Is there anything you'd like to discuss?"  
  
Harry thought all that had been going on the first week back to school. Snape's lessons, his thoughts about Sirius, his strange lack on dreams, and Ron and Hermione's kiss.  
  
He opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again. He did that a few times, earning himself the impression of a fish out of water. Finally, what came out was, "Ron and Hermione-they-" He couldn't say it.  
  
It stung a lot more than it should, Harry realized with a start. They were his best friends, he should be happy for them. He thought back to Cho. What he felt for Cho was nothing like what he felt for Hermione. But what exactly did he feel for Hermione?  
  
He sighed. "There's nothing sir," he finished rather lamely.  
  
"Very well," Dumbledore said, folding his hands. "Off you go then. And if you would kindly apologize to Mr. Creevey, I believe he rather liked that camera. I trust you won't do something like that again?"  
  
Harry nodded, his mind whirling. He couldn't understand his feelings at all, especially the ones for Hermione. He left the office in sort of a daze.  
  
He was halfway to the common room when he realized he was supposed to be in charms. He turned on his heel and hurried off to class. When he got there, Flitwick was teaching the class how to do an disillusionment charm.  
  
"I hope none of you will use this to prowl about the school at night or-oh, Mr. Potter. How nice of you to join us!" he said in his squeaky voice from a top a stack of books when Harry walked in. "Please have a seat. Class, you can work on the charm, Miss Granger, please show Mr. Potter how to do it."  
  
Harry walked over to where Hermione and Ron were sitting. He set down his books on the empty desk on Hermione's left and turned to face her.  
  
"So.?" he asked, feeling a tinge rise in his cheeks. He scolded himself mentally. It was just Hermione, his best friend. Why on Earth was he blushing, it wasn't as if he liked her as more than a friend or anything.  
  
But Harry could see a blush on her face too. She reached out her arm and tapped Harry on the head and said the charm and Harry felt what felt like raw egg running down his back. "You just tap and say the words," she instructed.  
  
Harry did as she asked and she went half transparent. She still had an outline and was faintly colored like herself.  
  
"Harry, I know you're angry with Ron and I, but-Harry, it was just to see," Hermione exclaimed.  
  
"Well?" Harry asked. "What did you find out? Enlighten me." He crossed his see-through arms and waited for her explanation.  
  
The bell rang just then and the class was dismissed. Hermione jumped up and dashed out of the room.  
  
Harry let out a muffled yell. This was great. Not only did he not get his explanation, she was avoiding him. He spotted her at the end of the corridor.  
  
"Hermione!" he yelled, running to catch up. She turned the corner down an empty hall. Harry caught up to her and spun her around by her shoulders.  
  
"I have to know what it meant," Harry said urgently. "I have to know what happened."  
  
Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes and she didn't say anything for a moment. Then she said, "Harry, I-"  
  
"I can't believe it! You-and Ron-" Harry interrupted, throwing his hands up.  
  
"It's not like that! I'm not sure what it means! But I-I think I'm in love."  
  
A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews! Let's see who can make it to a hundred! Whoever hits it gets to have a chapter with what ever they want in it (Mind it has to go with the plot and it can't go against the rating) and it gets dedicated to them! So let's get reviewing! 


	11. Shocker!

Chapter Eleven  
  
"With Ron?" Harry asked, hardly daring to believe her. He couldn't believe her. It had to be a lie.  
  
Hermione shook her head and burst into tears. She took off down another hallway, but this time Harry didn't bother to follow her. His head was spinning and he couldn't think.  
  
He had lunch now, but he decided he didn't want to go. He didn't know what to do anymore.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The days passed and with them went the warm weather and sunny days. The weather turned cool and the leaves on the trees started to turn red and gold and dropped to the ground.  
  
Harry and his friends weren't on the best of terms. There weren't best friends again, but they weren't exactly fighting either. They just avoided each other, which was fine with Harry, as he had enough going on. Quidditch Season was starting and he needed to run try outs for nearly all of the positions.  
  
Occlumency sessions had continued to go on, and Harry thought he could detect the tiniest of improvements. He hadn't had a vision since the summer and his scar hadn't been hurting.  
  
Although, that could also mean that Voldemort was up to something. The wizarding world was in a bit of an uproar since the announcement that the Dark Lord was indeed back. Some refused to believe it, but yet others had moved, hoping to avoid tribulation.  
  
At least four of Harry's classmates had packed up and left, on their way to America. Hermione's dorm mates had all left with the exception of Lavender and Pavarti, which Harry wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.  
  
It was a slightly chilly morning on the second Tuesday in November and Harry was on his way to Professor Snape's class. He had to drag himself out of bed, as he didn't particularly want to go. But then it was Snape's class, so go figure.  
  
He went to breakfast, noticing that Ron and Hermione were already there. He took a seat by Dean and Seamus, glancing down the table at his former friends.  
  
"Why don't you just talk to them?" asked a voice in his ear. Harry turned to his left to see Luna looking at him with an eyebrow raised. Her blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing her bottle cap necklace.  
  
Harry sighed, not really paying attention. His troubles were much larger than he could explain in a few minuets. In fact, it would probably take a good long time to completely explain everything.  
  
Besides, it wasn't as if Luna was his best friend or anything. It wasn't as if he could entrust her with anything at all. He tore his eyes away from Ron and Hermione, who was laughing over something Ron had said.  
  
He looked down at the other side of the table at Ginny. Her hair was done in a long plait down her back and she was talking to her friends.  
  
He glanced at his watch, the one he had gotten for his birthday and hadn't looked at further, and saw that it was nearly time for class. He thought about it, and realized that it would be better for Harry to be early. It wouldn't give Snape a reason to give him detention or take points.  
  
"I gotta go, Luna. Bye," Harry told her, picking up his bag and standing up.  
  
"Harry, hang on," Luna said, putting a hand on his elbow. "We've got a Hogsmead trip next week, right?" Harry nodded. Luna blinked a few times and then said quickly, "Do you think you might want to go with me?"  
  
Harry glanced down at Hermione and Ron. Ron appeared to ask her something and she glanced down at Harry. They met eyes for a split second and then Hermione nodded firmly.  
  
"Sure Luna, I'd love to." And with out checking her reaction, he got up and headed for class.  
  
He strolled along the corridor; glad he'd done what he had. If Hermione wanted to go out with Ron, well she could go right ahead.  
  
He reached up and rubbed his forehead. His scar was starting to burn, which was odd because it hadn't for a while. The pain mounted and forced Harry down on his knees. Something was forcing it's was into his line of vision.  
  
He struggled to push it back, but it was too strong. It swept over his like a wave.  
  
There was a quiet street. Nothing looked out of the ordinary or anything. Harry recognized it as Grimmauld Place. The wind blew, and Harry shivered.  
  
Without prier warning, the end of the street exploded, blowing chunks of asphalt in every direction.  
  
A line of death eaters trooped in, blowing the door off of number twelve. Harry ran after them. Remus was in there; Harry had to get to him. He couldn't lose Remus, he just couldn't.  
  
A cloud passed over the moon, leaving the full moon to shine down on the destroyed street. A howl could be heard in the distance.  
  
Five death eaters came out of the house, dragging a struggling wolf. A werewolf. Remus Lupin.  
  
The vision faded and Harry found himself seated on the floor of a dungeon corridor. It was empty, and it seemed that the vision had only lasted a few seconds.  
  
Harry struggled to his feet and dashed upstairs to Dumbledore's office. He racked his memory for the password. When he couldn't think of it, he kicked the gargoyles in a sort of blind panic. They had Remus; he had to get to Dumbledore.  
  
He pounded on the door and nearly fell through it when it opened. He scrambled up the stairs and burst into Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Professor, Remus! They took him from Grimmauld Place and-" he stopped suddenly, realizing how stupid he sounded. He was hit with a memory, the one of Sirius. Nearly his last.  
  
And furthermore, Remus was in the room. Harry's eyes swept the place and saw Remus seated in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, looking at Harry with quite an odd expression.  
  
A/N: Yes, I know! It's been practically forever! I haven't updated since September! Also, I apologize for the cliffie; I knew I had to put something up! I'm working on the next chapter already! And It will include the plot on the summery! I swear! 


	12. Visions of the future

Chapter Eleven  
  
"With Ron?" Harry asked, hardly daring to believe her. He couldn't believe her. It had to be a lie.  
  
Hermione shook her head and burst into tears. She took off down another hallway, but this time Harry didn't bother to follow her. His head was spinning and he couldn't think.  
  
He had lunch now, but he decided he didn't want to go. He didn't know what to do anymore.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The days passed and with them went the warm weather and sunny days. The weather turned cool and the leaves on the trees started to turn red and gold and dropped to the ground.  
  
Harry and his friends weren't on the best of terms. There weren't best friends again, but they weren't exactly fighting either. They just avoided each other, which was fine with Harry, as he had enough going on. Quidditch Season was starting and he needed to run try outs for nearly all of the positions.  
  
Occlumency sessions had continued to go on, and Harry thought he could detect the tiniest of improvements. He hadn't had a vision since the summer and his scar hadn't been hurting.  
  
Although, that could also mean that Voldemort was up to something. The wizarding world was in a bit of an uproar since the announcement that the Dark Lord was indeed back. Some refused to believe it, but yet others had moved, hoping to avoid tribulation.  
  
At least four of Harry's classmates had packed up and left, on their way to America. Hermione's dorm mates had all left with the exception of Lavender and Pavarti, which Harry wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.  
  
It was a slightly chilly morning on the second Tuesday in November and Harry was on his way to Professor Snape's class. He had to drag himself out of bed, as he didn't particularly want to go. But then it was Snape's class, so go figure.  
  
He went to breakfast, noticing that Ron and Hermione were already there. He took a seat by Dean and Seamus, glancing down the table at his former friends.  
  
"Why don't you just talk to them?" asked a voice in his ear. Harry turned to his left to see Luna looking at him with an eyebrow raised. Her blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing her bottle cap necklace.  
  
Harry sighed, not really paying attention. His troubles were much larger than he could explain in a few minuets. In fact, it would probably take a good long time to completely explain everything.  
  
Besides, it wasn't as if Luna was his best friend or anything. It wasn't as if he could entrust her with anything at all. He tore his eyes away from Ron and Hermione, who was laughing over something Ron had said.  
  
He looked down at the other side of the table at Ginny. Her hair was done in a long plait down her back and she was talking to her friends.  
  
He glanced at his watch, the one he had gotten for his birthday and hadn't looked at further, and saw that it was nearly time for class. He thought about it, and realized that it would be better for Harry to be early. It wouldn't give Snape a reason to give him detention or take points.  
  
"I gotta go, Luna. Bye," Harry told her, picking up his bag and standing up.  
  
"Harry, hang on," Luna said, putting a hand on his elbow. "We've got a Hogsmead trip next week, right?" Harry nodded. Luna blinked a few times and then said quickly, "Do you think you might want to go with me?"  
  
Harry glanced down at Hermione and Ron. Ron appeared to ask her something and she glanced down at Harry. They met eyes for a split second and then Hermione nodded firmly.  
  
"Sure Luna, I'd love to." And with out checking her reaction, he got up and headed for class.  
  
He strolled along the corridor; glad he'd done what he had. If Hermione wanted to go out with Ron, well she could go right ahead.  
  
He reached up and rubbed his forehead. His scar was starting to burn, which was odd because it hadn't for a while. The pain mounted and forced Harry down on his knees. Something was forcing it's was into his line of vision.  
  
He struggled to push it back, but it was too strong. It swept over his like a wave.  
  
There was a quiet street. Nothing looked out of the ordinary or anything. Harry recognized it as Grimmauld Place. The wind blew, and Harry shivered.  
  
Without prier warning, the end of the street exploded, blowing chunks of asphalt in every direction.  
  
A line of death eaters trooped in, blowing the door off of number twelve. Harry ran after them. Remus was in there; Harry had to get to him. He couldn't lose Remus, he just couldn't.  
  
A cloud passed over the moon, leaving the full moon to shine down on the destroyed street. A howl could be heard in the distance.  
  
Five death eaters came out of the house, dragging a struggling wolf. A werewolf. Remus Lupin.  
  
The vision faded and Harry found himself seated on the floor of a dungeon corridor. It was empty, and it seemed that the vision had only lasted a few seconds.  
  
Harry struggled to his feet and dashed upstairs to Dumbledore's office. He racked his memory for the password. When he couldn't think of it, he kicked the gargoyles in a sort of blind panic. They had Remus; he had to get to Dumbledore.  
  
He pounded on the door and nearly fell through it when it opened. He scrambled up the stairs and burst into Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Professor, Remus! They took him from Grimmauld Place and-" he stopped suddenly, realizing how stupid he sounded. He was hit with a memory, the one of Sirius. Nearly his last.  
  
And furthermore, Remus was in the room. Harry's eyes swept the place and saw Remus seated in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, looking at Harry with quite an odd expression.  
  
A/N: Yes, I know! It's been practically forever! I haven't updated since September! Also, I apologize for the cliffie; I knew I had to put something up! I'm working on the next chapter already! And It will include the plot on the summery! I swear! 


	13. Another Prophecy

Chapter Twelve  
  
Harry stared at Remus, hardly daring to believe it. But then, he reminded himself, remember what happened last time.  
  
"Why don't you have a seat and explain what happened?" the headmaster suggested, conjuring a chair out of thin air.  
  
Harry nodded and sat down, and explained the vision he'd had and what he thought it meant. When he was finished, Dumbledore nodded and "hm."ed.  
  
"The full moon is next week," Remus put in softly. He didn't say anything else, as he was thinking the same thing Harry was.  
  
"We'll have to keep a watch on the house then," Dumbledore said suddenly. "It could turn out to be true, and we don't want that to happen." Harry nodded. He couldn't really ask them to do any more, and anyway, it was probably just Voldemort trying to lure him out of the castle.  
  
Harry headed back to class and handed Snape the note that Dumbledore had signed. He sat down in his regular seat. He glanced over at Hermione and Ron and realized with a sharp jolt that they weren't speaking.  
  
The class passed by in a blur. Harry tossed the ingredients into his stupidity potion, hardly paying attention. Snape took the usual twenty or thirty points away from Gryffindor and awarded the Slytherins the same amount.  
  
As they left the class, Hermione and Ron caught up with Harry on his way to lunch.  
  
"Look Harry," Hermione began, "I know you were mad, but don't you think this has gone on long enough?" Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione plowed on. "I- *we're* really sorry we didn't tell you about any of this, but it's not like we're going out or anything! It was just a kiss, it didn't mean anything!"  
  
Ron, who had been staring blankly ahead and nodding along, stopped and turned to face Hermione. "Nothing? Nothing at all?" he asked her in slight disbelief.  
  
"Ron-" Hermione protested, but couldn't think of anything to say.  
  
"I can't believe-all of this-nothing?" Ron spluttered, giving Hermione a disgusted look. He turned to Harry now. "Look, I'm sorry about all of this, but I think I might have to join your side on this one, mate."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow, but considered the offer. He'd never say so out loud, but he missed having Ron around. Sure the rest of his dorm mates were fun, but Ron had been the first person he'd met at Hogwarts and he couldn't just throw all of that away over a stupid misunderstanding.  
  
Ron glared at Hermione and then said, "I do believe that's a bit-slutty."  
  
Hermione's mouth fell open in shock. "How dare you!" she shrieked. She drew her hand back and popped Ron across the face. Then she picked up her bag from where she'd laid it on the floor and stalked off.  
  
Ron rubbed his cheek. A large red mark was forming there, and it was slowly turning purple. Harry resisted the urge to chuckle and slapped Ron on the back. "It's good to have you back, mate," Harry said, then added, "But that might have been uncalled for."  
  
Ron glared, although he didn't really mean it. "Yeah, well."  
  
Harry looked heavenward then walked off to the Great Hall, chuckling slightly.  
  
(A nice place to stop, but no.)  
  
Harry's next class was Defense, with Professor McKinney. He stepped into class with Ron and sat down.  
  
"Alright, since you all have pretty much covered the tradition part of dueling, today, we're going to start the actual dueling part of dueling." McKinney said, standing up in front of the class. "We'll start with shields."  
  
She paced up and down the rows pairing people off. "Finnegan and Longbottom, Patil and Brown, Potter and Granger, Weasly and Thomas."  
  
It took Harry a moment to register this. "Professor, can I be paired with Ron?"  
  
McKinney shook her head. "No, I think we'll keep you with Miss Granger. But do see me after class, won't you?" A few students laughed a bit. Harry glared down at his desk, turning slightly pink in embarrassment.  
  
"Right, so who knows the spell for a shield?" McKinney asked the class. As usual, Hermione's hand shot up into the air. "Yes, Miss Granger."  
  
"The spell is 'Protengo' and will protect, as the name suggests, a person from most spells. The color of the shield depends on the magical strength of the person casting it."  
  
The blonde professor nodded at Hermione. "Yes, although just 'Protengo' would have been fine. You are indeed correct. Take five points to Gryffindor."  
  
Hermione beamed to herself, but the smile was wiped off of her face when she noticed Harry looked over at her.  
  
"Right, now I want you all to try and disarm your partner and we can also see what color your shields are. Miss Brown, can you tell us the order of colors, from lowest to highest?"  
  
Lavender looked vaugly uncomfortable. "Erm.the lowest is clear, right?" McKinney nodded. "Then there's tan, orange, and green, then purple, then blue, then silver, right?"  
  
"Right Lavender. The highest level is silver, which is extremely rare. I myself am just blue. Protengo!" She conjured up a shield, showing everyone the blue, mixed with a trace of silver.  
  
Harry wondered idly what color Dumbledore was. He bet McKinney would know. "If you don't mind me asking," Harry spoke up, "Would you happen to know what color Dumbledore is?"  
  
McKinney looked down at the floor. "He is a gold, one of the only four in history. Slytherin was one, Gryffindor was one and he-who-must-not-be-named is the fourth."  
  
The class was silent for a moment before the professor clapped her hands and said brightly, "Okay, back to shields! Up and at 'em class!"  
  
The class got up and paired off, trying to disarm each other. Hermione and Harry just sort of stared at each other for a moment.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Harry said quite suddenly.  
  
"Protengo!" Hermione's shield was purplish with a touch of blue. It reflected the spell quite easily.  
  
Harry however wondered why he had never noticed the color of the shields before. He asked this to McKinney.  
  
"The shield colors can only appear to those who know about them. Rather nifty privacy thing if you ask me."  
  
"Oh," replied Harry and waited for the spell he knew was coming.  
  
"Expelliarmus!"  
  
"Protengo!" The shield flared up. To Harry, it appeared clear as it always had. He noticed the entirety of the class staring at him as though in shock.  
  
A horrible thought came to him. Perhaps it was clear on the outside as well as the inside. Perhaps his level of magical talent was so low-But as soon as Harry thought this, he knew it was absurd. He did not dismiss the thought entirely though.  
  
He cleared his throat. "And uh-what color am I?" The class seemed to be at a loss for words. Speechlessly, Professor McKinney conjured up a mirror and showed him.  
  
The shield was silver, with golden flecks.  
  
Harry didn't say a word. His mouth hung open and he looked remarkably like a goldfish. "I-it can't-I'm not-there's got to be a mistake." Harry spluttered. Surely he, who hadn't even heard of the entire wizarding world until Hogwarts, he couldn't be a silver wizard. It was impossible-he had to have messed up the spell.  
  
But McKinney just shook her head. "You're a silver wizard Harry, congratulations." She smiled weakly. "Class dismissed." Harry turned to leave. "All except you Mr. Potter."  
  
Harry gathered up his books and, ignoring Ron asking if he like him to wait, he walked up to McKinney's desk, rather dazedly.  
  
"Have a seat Potter," McKinney said as she sunk into the chair behind the desk. Harry sat down too.  
  
"I suppose I should get to the point. I was wondering if perhaps you knew what exactly the veil in the department of mysteries is. I'm a member of the order; I heard what happened. I used to teach potions to your parents."  
  
Harry shook his head numbly.  
  
"Right. Would you like to know? I just thought-well, it would be nice to know." Harry didn't move and McKinney continued.  
  
"The veil contains all of the lost souls waiting to move on. They have to be avenged, that's why they are there. There is a prophesy-"  
  
Harry groaned loudly, cutting her off. "Great, a prophecy. You know, my luck's not exactly the best in that department. People tend to want to kill me when they learn I'm in one."  
  
McKinney continued on after a pause. "The prophecy tells about a hall of doors. One person is supposed to find the hall of doors and change an aspect of history that will change everything. No one knows what this is or who has to do it, but many have tried."  
  
McKinney started suddenly, as if she had realized something none too pleasant. "And don't you go seeing if you're it. You'll only be trapped down there. Dumbledore wasn't sure I should tell you, but I thought you might like to know what happened to Sirius."  
  
"Is that all?" Harry asked dully.  
  
McKinney nodded and Harry left.  
  
Yeah, I know its been a million years, I'm sorry! But at least this was a big long chapter! And it includes the plot! Yay! Thanks everyone for being so patient and putting up with me and for all your support too! 


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